Rangitoto

What did I do today? Oh nothing much, just hiked to the top of a VOLCANO!!! Today, we finally made it over to Rangitoto Island. It is one of those sites I was told I HAD to visit, and it was well worth it. Rangitoto is famous because it erupted "only" 900 years ago, making it the most recently erupted volcano in the Auckland Volcanic Field. It was quite exciting because we got to take a ferry over to the volcano, completing our list of Auckland transportation:

• Bus? Check. We have had both good and not-so-good bus experiences, but the good are now outweighing the bad.
• Train? Check. Rode it home from the rugby game.
• Car? Check. Unfortunately we haven't driven one, but we are grateful to the Lords and JJ for the many car rides.
• Taxi? Check. Last night we ended up taking a taxi home so that we wouldn't have to wait an hour for the next bus. It ended up being the same price as the bus would've been for all four of us, and it was wayyy faster.
• Ferry? Check. We rode the ferry to Rangitoto.

There's Anna, the ferry, and Rangitoto in the background.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Rangitoto, but it ended up being a uniquely beautiful experience. Since it has so "recently" erupted, the island is covered with lava rocks. But, it's so cool because there has been so much growth since then the island is also covered with a variety of green. I was intrigued, and I loved it.

On our way to the summit, we explored some lava caves. It was neat to actually crawl into a few of them and imagine how they were formed by the hot, hot lava.

On our way back from the lava caves trail, we walked past a group and I overheard them talking about handcarts and then saw one of the women wearing a Nauvoo shirt. So, I asked them if they were LDS, and they were! Visiting here for a family reunion from Wyoming, Washington, and Utah. One of the women is a teacher in the Jordan School District and works with an intern who did the New Zealand study abroad last year. SUCH a small world!

The summit was breathtaking. Partially because we were out of breath from the steep slope, but mostly because the scenery was stunning. It was so cool to stand there and think, "I'm standing on the very top of a volcano right now."

One side looked pristine, completely untouched by humans.

And from the other side you could see the entire spread of Auckland.

There was a trail that led us around the rim of the crater. It was cool to see the crater, which is now entirely covered with dense foliage.

And just in case you can't tell, this is me standing on the edge of the crater--I am the lava exploding out of the volcano ;) Definitely my favorite picture of the day!

I truly am so grateful that I've had so many encounters with the magnificence of nature.

**NEWS UPDATE** There was an earthquake tsunami that hit Japan today with a magnitude of 8.8! The earthquake in Christchurch was a 6.4, so this 8.8 is even bigger. I'm not sure of too many details, but we saw a bunch of live footage and it looks devastating. New Zealand is on tsunami watch in case the wave comes down this way, but we shouldn't be affected by it here. Keep everyone affected in your thoughts and prayers!